Arshdeep Singh Becomes First Indian Bowler to Take 150 T20I Wickets in His 103rd Match
Arshdeep Singh has become the first Indian bowler to take 150 wickets in T20 Internationals. The left-arm pacer reached the milestone in his 103rd T20I. It came in the fourth T20I against New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday, October 30.
The 150th wicket was Mitchell Santner, the New Zealand captain. Arshdeep had him caught by Nitish Kumar Reddy in the penultimate over of New Zealand's innings. It was one of a few bright spots for India on a hard night. New Zealand scored 259 for 7 and won the match by 87 runs.
The record is not just about the number. Arshdeep took only 1,577 days from his T20I debut to reach 150 wickets. That makes him the fastest bowler in the world to get there in terms of time. He broke the mark of Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga, who took 2,325 days. Arshdeep is the ninth bowler to enter the 150-wicket club.
He also got there in just 2,143 balls. Among fast bowlers, that is the quickest. It is better than Bangladesh's Mustafizur Rahman, who needed 2,532 balls. Overall, he is the fourth fastest by deliveries, with Rashid Khan and Hasaranga among those who got there in fewer balls.
Arshdeep made his T20I debut against England in July 2022. He bowled a maiden over in that first match. He was the first Indian bowler to reach 100 T20I wickets, and now he is the first to 150 as well. He is clearly India's leading wicket-taker in the format.
The year 2026 has been a very strong one for him. He has taken 40 T20I wickets this calendar year. That has broken the Indian record for most T20I wickets in a year. The old mark was Bhuvneshwar Kumar's 37 wickets in 2022. Arshdeep went past it in the second T20I of this tour, in Christchurch.
The milestone came just a day after Rashid Khan became the first men's bowler to take 200 T20I wickets. That puts Arshdeep 50 wickets behind the all-time leader.
In the match itself, Arshdeep finished with 1 wicket for 38 runs in his four overs. India still lead the five-match series 3-1. The fifth and final T20I is on Sunday, November 1, at Seddon Park in Hamilton.